By Shaun Brown
ABASS BARAOU had been waiting for that one chance to prove himself to the boxing world.
A fighter on the fringes, biding his time, plying his trade on Channel 5 in the UK, the German super-welterweight was steadily building a reputation under the Wasserman Boxing banner, collecting European title wins over Sam Eggington and Macauley McGowan.
Those victories gave his career some much-needed momentum, but whether he was a genuine world title contender remained open to question.
His only defeat, a close decision loss to Jack Culcay behind closed doors during the Covid-19 pandemic, left a lingering question mark. But in 2024, Baraou’s fortunes began to shift.
Rising rapidly through the WBA rankings, he broke into the top five by February, and by March, he was the No.1 contender. Terence Crawford was champion at the time, but ‘Bud’ had set his sights on moving up to challenge Canelo Alvarez at super-middleweight.
That left the door open for Baraou, who travelled to Orlando to face Yoenis ‘El Bandolero’ Tellez for the WBA interim belt.
The setting was no obstacle. Baraou spends time training Stateside, but he was very much the away fighter on a Jake Paul-promoted MVP card.
Most inside the Caribe Royale expected the highly regarded Tellez to retain his belt and move on to bigger names in one of boxing’s most competitive divisions.
Instead, they witnessed the night Baraou arrived on the world stage.
In a brutal, high-tempo battle, he matched Tellez punch for punch, absorbed the Cuban’s best work, and slowly broke him down with strength and precision.
Baraou dropped Tellez in the final round and earned a unanimous decision, sealing a breakthrough victory.
When Crawford’s subsequent win over Canelo made him the undisputed super-middleweight champion, and he accordingly vacated his super-welter belt, Baraou was formally elevated from interim to full WBA world champion.
“It felt surreal. I couldn’t believe it because it went my way,” says Baraou of the verdict that led to his retrospective coronation.
“I had pure joy. I’m very happy. Being so far from home and putting on a performance against a man like that – I knew from the beginning I had the ability to do so.
“Seeing everything work out how it was planned makes me happy.”
In a previous interview with BN in April 2024, Baraou spoke candidly about the mental challenges of inactivity.
Over time, he has built a quiet resilience. Patience and inner strength now underpin his performances. The win over Tellez was perhaps proof that, as Baraou nears his 30th birthday, every part of his character has hardened.
“I feel like this was a challenge to make that work, having not been in the ring [for 14 months],” he says.
“When I’m not in the ring, I’m trying to progress, take my time, learn and get better, so that being out of the ring also teaches me a lot, which helps me during a fight.”
After beating Eggington in March 2024, Baraou sat on the apron for a post-fight interview with Dave Farrar. A mix of relief and pent-up frustration poured out of him.
Such emotion is familiar to fighters. The mental strain of training camps, the solitude between bouts, and the pressure of performance all collide in moments like that.
When Baraou stood face-to-face with Tellez before the opening bell, there was a cold, steely look about him – the visual embodiment of a man ready to seize his moment.
“I was locked in for this fight,” he recalls. “I wanted him and everybody to feel that while I was on their show I was there to take the belt with me.
“That’s what I was expressing through the whole week and then in the ring.
“I wanted to express that I’m afraid of nothing. I wasn’t afraid if the judges were going to take my win. That’s what sometimes gets into many people’s heads when they find out they are on another show.
“I didn’t care about all of that. I knew I was going to put on a show and take the belt with me and I was trying to express that through the whole fight week.”
Even before Crawford’s rise to super-middle confirmed it, Baraou already felt like the legitimate WBA champion. The victory over Tellez, on away territory, had settled any doubts.
Like many elite athletes, Baraou is never fully satisfied. He approaches his craft with a critical eye, analysing his own performances in search of improvement.
“There will always be some criticism I give to myself,” he says.
“I want to be the best and I feel like there will always be something I can always do better to progress.
“Overall, what could I have done better with 14 months out of the ring? I had to switch coaches in camp. I’ve been through a lot, so to perform like this was amazing. I can’t wait to get in the ring again.”
That coaching upheaval was no small obstacle.
At the start of camp, Jorge Rubio – who had trained Baraou since the end of 2023 – departed, forcing the fighter to piece together a new corner team. Roberto Iznaga, Louis Taylor, and a close friend named Joseph stepped in to help.
It speaks volumes of Baraou’s mental fortitude that he refused to let the disruption derail him.
“To be honest, I didn’t make a big deal out of it,” he says.
“I was just trying to deal quickly with it and not be distracted by the whole coaching situation. I was trying to focus on the fight and soon the distraction went away.
“I set up a new team around me and I was just locked into the fight. It was a challenge, but I feel like I mastered it – nothing could distract me away.
“So, when everything was happening, I was just trying to get over it and get back to training and try to get ready for the fight.”
Looking ahead, Baraou has options aplenty.
He has been linked to a first defence against former undisputed super-welterweight champion Jermell Charlo, a unification with WBO titleholder Xander Zayas has also been mentioned, and Baraou himself has expressed interest in a showdown with Conor Benn.
Whatever comes next, his new championship will make a familiar stop first.
After his win over Eggington, Baraou took the European belt to his mother’s home in Oberhausen, where it remained for a time.
The WBA title, he says, will make the same journey.
“I’m going to definitely take it to my mum’s place,” he says.
“It’s where I go for a while and shut off. It will be great to see her, and of course she’s happy.
“My mum is one of my biggest supporters and motivation and she always rolls with me. Every time I fight, she’s very nervous, but she’s very proud of me. She knows how much I sacrificed to reach my goals.”
